Martin Amaewhule, speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, alongside several loyalists of Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, have emerged as winners of All Progressives Congress (APC) house of representatives primaries in Rivers state.
Gatekeepers News reports that the primaries were conducted across the 13 federal constituencies in the state on Saturday, with results announced at the APC secretariat in Port Harcourt by Wahab Owokoniran, chairman of the election committee. Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including Johnson Sinikiem, the Rivers resident electoral commissioner, monitored the exercise.
Martin Amaewhule won the APC ticket for Obio/Akpor federal constituency I unopposed after polling 17,968 votes.
“In this case, we only have one aspirant, Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule. He scored 17,968 votes,” Owokoniran said.
Other winners include Dumnamene Dekor for Khana/Gokana federal constituency, Cyril Hart for Degema-Bonny, Felix Nweke for Eleme/Tai/Oyigbo, and Isobo Solomon for Akuku-Toru/Asari-Toru federal constituency. Chukwuemele Obuzor, Fredrick Apiafi, Chibuzor Nwamaka, Joy Nyebuchi, Blessing Amadi, Linda Steward, and Solomon Bob also secured tickets in their respective constituencies.
The development comes amid growing political tensions in Rivers state between loyalists of Wike and supporters of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Earlier reports indicated that four aspirants linked to Fubara, including three serving lawmakers, were disqualified from the APC primaries.
